Harvest Rivalry 2
by HersheyChocolates101
Summary: Despite their fathers' hostility, Mark and Chelsea struggle with their illnesses to raise a successful ranch. Can they prove that no illness is more difficult than the other? *Now K plus*
1. The Rivalry Begins

**A/N: Welcome! I now present to you…a remake of Harvest Rivalry! Yay! This version will have a different plot, and hopefully better uh, stuff. :) A VERY special thank you with cherries (or anything, really!) to Penny ToughGirl for being my beta reader! If you like this better, then thank her. :D This chapter will be a _very_ short prologue, but the chapters will lengthen up as time goes by. But I am determined to make a great story!**

* * *

><p>Prologue:<p>

"Okay, Chelsea. Who is this?" The therapist asked, and he held up a picture of a man who was _very_ familiar to the young girl. She stared at the photo with her sapphire colored eyes, trying to recall the name of the person featured in the photo.

"Daddy," Chelsea answered, eyes on her feet, as she moved back and forth in her chair. The therapist smiled proudly.

"Very good!" he exclaimed, and then held up a small handheld mirror decorated with pink sequins to her face. "And who is this?" She examined the visage, and squinted her eyes.

"…Me."

"And who is this?" A pair of familiar hands blinded her eyesight and she giggled pleasurably, earning a smile from the therapist.

"Daddy!" she squeaked, prying off her father's manly hands, and then turning around to hug him. She was picked up and spun around. "Weee!"

"Thanks, Jack. How she'd do today?" asked Chelsea's dad, rocking the young brunette in his arms to sleep. He rubbed her back soothingly.

"She's getting better at remembering the names of the family everyday. And she sure does have the knack for singing, Pete. You really need to hear that melodic tone of her voice." Jack said, eyeing the little girl. She was smiling, now peacefully asleep in her father's strong arms.

"Really? I've never heard her say a whole lot, much less hear her sing. How's Mark doing?"

"He's been learning the alphabet quite well. It has been a rocky road, but we're getting there. Hey, have you ever wondered what Chelsea will be when she grows older?" Jack asked curiously. It was always quite appealing and interesting to see what parents wanted their children to turn out to be compared to how they actually turned out.

"My dear, dear Chelsea. She will be the best rancher on the planet. Chelsea will raise animals of all kinds, earning every esteemed award there is, and I will forever be a proud father. Any rancher that raises animals is bound to be called the best." Pete envisioned the image of a young girl surrounded by animals as he told his hopes to Jack.

Jack scowled at the thought of a girl beating _his_ son. After all, men were stronger, and his son was bound to win anything. "Well, don't fantasize only to disappoint yourself, buddy. Chelsea will be highly outnumbered when Mark plants his crops! Oh, the bright vegetables and fruits: eggplants, turnips, strawberries…Crops give much more money than animals; they're quieter and easier to take care of," he sneered arrogantly for a moment before continuing, "If Chelsea will beat my son with _animals_, then she better get a move on it!"

Pete growled. No person on the face of the earth was better than Chelsea. She was perfect, and she'd do everything professionally within the first try. Anything done by Chelsea was bound to be a pure and amazing success. "You say a bag of seeds is going to beat a live creature? Oh, ho, ho. I thought you were good at mental types of things, Jack. _Anyone_ would know that animals are better than crops! Even the boulders in the yard would agree!" he cried, laughing as much as possible with a sleeping child in his arms. Chelsea was a heavy sleeper, but she'd get cranky if ever woken up.

"You think a _girl_ will beat my son? Well, then prove it!" Jack said defensively.

"That's sexist! Have you ever heard of _women's' success?_" Pete snarled.

Jack snorted snobbishly. "Yeah, their success in cooking." he answered, and that was all it took to anger the father of a silently sleeping Chelsea.

"You- you! I can't believe I'm bringing my dear child to _you!_ How can I ever trust that you teach her properly? That does it; you want proof that a girl can outstand a boy? Well, fine then!"

Pete took a deep breath in before continuing, "My _beautiful _and _intelligent_ daughter will raise animals on a ranch when she gets to be the age. When your _son_ gets to that point, he will grow the worthless things called crops. We'll see about success then! Until that day comes, I will never desire to see your face again!"

And with that, Pete angrily stormed out of the therapist clinic, fuming until anyone could've sworn that his head was smoking. Jack just chuckled heartily, and leaned back in his black leather swivel chair.

"The dyslexic will beat the autistic is the real deal. Watch out, Pete."

**A/N: Ta-da! This was interesting for me to write; especially since both of our lovebirds will have disabilities to cope with. Let me know if you like this better, or if the last one was better, and so on. In case you didn't catch on, I used the whole crop and animal thing from The Tale of Two Towns. If there is anything confusing to you, please tell me so I can explain it. Oh, and a question. Should I delete the other Harvest Rivalry? Or keep it? Can't decide. And once again, thanks to Penny ToughGirl for editing this. It means a whole lot to me. :D**


	2. Life Changes, Starting With Ice Cream

**A/N: Done! You'd never realize how error clustered a chapter can be until someone edits it…**

**Chapter 1: Weird Feeling**

"Ice cream."

"What did you say, Chelsea?" asked her mother, who turned around in her car seat to make eye contact with Chelsea.

"Ice cream."

Chelsea's mother, Claire, looked questioningly at Pete, who sighed with a small smile and turned the car into the local ice cream shop, "Thank the Cow". It was rather like a restaurant, seeing the size.

But the size paid off. A large order window allowed customers to buy ice cream from the outside _and_ _eat_it outside, which helped busy mothers stop for a quick bite with their children. A large, bright blue sign with a smiling cow holding an ice cream cone sitting on the deepest part of a spoon sticking out from the side. Rainbows delicately adorned the rest of the sign, earning plenty of pleasurable customers entering the parking lot just because of it.

The ice cream was really good, too, however. Fifty six flavors for people to choose from and to mix together. Thirty toppings lined the back counter, ranging with excellent choices: candies, sprinkles, marshmallows, cookies, and nuts to name a few. A variety of cones were also an option, having many different shapes and sizes. "There had to be millions of combinations to create," many people had commented, especially after their first visit.

So it wasn't a very big surprise that Chelsea loved eating ice cream from "Thank the Cow". It wasn't a big surprise for anyone to like going there. Passing by the shop without letting the young brunette notice it was difficult; its bright colors and large crowds made it almost impossible to miss. No one new in town had a problem finding the shop.

After almost ten minutes of unsuccessful nearby-the-store parking spaces, Pete muttered small words of annoyance under his breath and pulled into a spot farther off. He left the keys in the ignition, knowing that turning off the car would leave the small family like sweaty pigs, which usually resulted in a smelly car. The summer days in their town were almost unbearable.

"Are you going to buy ice cream, Pete?" asked Claire, not looking at him, but rummaging through her leather tan purse for money. She stopped searching for a moment to glance up at him.

"Eh, I guess you can just get a small vanilla for me. It is kinda warm out."

"Small? Any toppings?" the blonde woman asked, her bright blue eyes glancing at another sign that said, "More than thirty flavors!"

He sighed, "No, honey…; just a plain small vanilla. You know how I don't like too much sugar." Pete mentally groaned a little; he knew what was to come next from his wife.

"Sometimes you can be so boring, Pete. We need to be interesting for ourselves. And if not for ourselves, Chelsea, too!" Claire nagged. She gave him a puppy dog gaze, and Pete gave in, unable to refuse, like always. It was just too hard for him to resist.

He smiled. "Peanuts, then."

"Yay! Look Chelsea, I got Daddy to listen again!" Claire cheered playfully, and her daughter giggled amusingly at her father's light-hearted glare at her mother, who pretended not to notice and just file her nails.

"Let's go, sweetie," she said, and opened the car door to step out. She shut it, and opened the backseat door to unbuckle Chelsea from the booster seat and pull her out. But Chelsea didn't budge.

"Daddy…comes with…us…?" she asked guiltlessly, her huge sapphire eyes gazing somewhat sadly at him. It wasn't the artificial puppy dog eye look, but an original gaze that sent severe waves of guilt over even the cruelest person. There was just something about those eyes…

"C'mon Pete. I'm taking the car keys with me and no way will you survive in here without the air conditioning," Claire urged.

Pete nodded his head somewhat reluctantly and with a tired smile, stepped out of the car. He slammed the door, thinking, _It's just a normal little outing…Why do I feel as if something weird is going to happen?_

_Like, I feel as if my life will be changed today. _"Pete…"

_It's odd. Perhaps it has to do with…NO! I refuse to let him into my mind. _"Pete."

_Well, the psychological reverse seems to be an intelligent notion. But Newton's law of- _"PETE!"

"Huh? What? Who?" Chelsea's father, who'd been daydreaming for five minutes, was alert as a hunting fox in the night.

"What the heck is wrong with you? By the way, here's your ice cream," she said and handed him an ice cream cone. There was a kiddy plastic stick with a rainbow attached, but Pete didn't care.

"Nothing's wrong…"

"C'mon. I know that you're worried. Your hand is shaking and- *PLOP!* Aargh, there goes your ice cream cone! Pete, snap out of it and talk! It's driving me nuts!" Claire yelled and began to wipe up the mess.

"I just have a feeling that…"

"That what?"

"That my life will be changed today…"

"And why is that?"

"I don't know…"

"Mommy!"

Claire spun around to see her girl being dragged away from the shop. Her eyes were wide with absolutely nothing but incredible fright and she screamed endlessly. Other adults tried their best to stop the kidnapper but whoever this demon was, there was no halting him.

Both parents sprinted to the door but it was too late. The man (he was somewhat visible now) had thrown Chelsea into a car and was driving off.

"CHELSEA!"

**A/N: This story may have shorter chapters. Also, I'm looking for a new title. You guys have any inspiration?**

**~Hershey (I just love that little squiggly line, don't you?)**


	3. Searching

**A/N: Muahaha! Evil cliffhanger! ****Like I said last time, I had an AWESOME idea pop into my mind like…like…something! It was…amazing…*drools* By the way, sorry if you get confused every time I switch places. I put indicators. (Lines)**

**Kasey and Kevin: We don't own Harvest Moon. **

"I got you, and that is what matters," he muttered incoherently under his breath. Why did Regis have to hire _him_, out of all the people on Earth?

In the back, Chelsea was whining loudly, making the man's ears hurt. She was actually screaming more than whining, and unfortunately, had a sharp voice with the potential to deafen someone. Half the ride had been spent at a rest stop or gas station to buy candy to shut Chelsea up. (Well, the man had worded it that way.) So it wasn't surprising to the kidnapper that his ears were ringing painfully by the time they reached his destination.

The airport.

He didn't live on the same land as Chelsea and her family had; there was absolutely no way it would work. He'd get caught.

The man resided somewhere else, far away, on a place rarely known to mainlanders called the Sunshine Islands. They were desolate, was the only idea city folk had about it since a terrible earthquake struck, but that was ages ago. The Sunshine Islands at this point in time was a healthy, beautiful place, and they burst with nature so brilliant it could never possibly be found elsewhere.

"Okay, kid, shut up now and follow me," he grunted and pulled Chelsea out of the luxurious car with a slight roughness. It had been a long ride, and Chelsea didn't like sitting still for very long, apparently. The young girl whimpered, but she didn't cry, much to the man's relief. He'd had way more than enough of her racket.

The thick, muscular hand on Chelsea's elbow was a massive discomfort, but having used up all the energy left in her, she said nothing and let this gorilla-looking man drag her along with two suitcases into the airport.

"Place?" Chelsea had been taught that people used the airport to go to _places. _Her mother had said so.

She looked around with amazement. High ceilings. Vast, marble floors. Glass walls gave Chelsea the full view of the outside sky, which was in the process of altering into the sunset colors of pink, blue, orange, and many more hues.

Sadly, Chelsea was reminded immediately of her parents by the mesmerizing site. Her father had used to paint, and one of his masterpieces had been framed and hung up in Chelsea's bedroom for her birthday. It was a painting of a sunset.

"Quit starin' kid. Nothin' different 'bout the sunset sky than the afternoon one," the kidnapper mumbled. He grabbed Chelsea by her skinny elbow and began to drag her towards the check in.

_This is going to be a long trip…_ he thought tiredly, watching the little girl amusedly play with a twig that was found in her denim skirt pocket.

_She…reminds me of someone. Though I can't really put my finger on it._

"What is her name?" an authority asked Pete, clipboard in his hand.

It had taken half an hour for the police to arrive at the ice cream store, one hour to get to the Missing Child Center because of rush hour traffic, and then Claire and Pete were forced to wait one more hour to get attended to. At this point Claire had given up with crying; it was absolutely useless. Pete, on the other hand, didn't shed a single tear of fear or sadness. Instead he was just ready to blow up out of pure anger. He stomped back and forth in a line for endless hours.

"Sir, it'd be a lot more helpful it you would tell me the name of your child," said a worker who was ordered to assist Pete and Claire.

"Chelsea. Chelsea Sylvia Reese," Claire said softly, her eyes already watering at the simple mention of Chelsea's name. Would she ever be able to call for that name again? And actually get a response?

The worker typed Chelsea's name into her computer. "What does she look like?" Pete grumbled from his spot on a small chair but motioned for his wife to proceed on without him when Claire glanced back at him questioningly.

"She has chestnut brown hair that's about mid-length and straight. Her eyes are a deep blue, almost sapphire type color. Her skin is pale and smooth. She has cute freckles. She's skinny, and her weight is just about forty-three pounds. We had just measured her and she's about forty-six inches tall." Claire said all in a rush. Beads of perspiration ran down the back of her neck, and she breathed heavily in anxiety.

"Calm down. How old is she?" the worker asked after spending several moments of typing something into the computer.

"Six."

"Hmmm…It seems like we have uncovered a profile. Take a look."

She turned the computer screen and gestured for Pete and Claire to move closer and take a look.

Displayed on the bright, modern-tech screen was an outline, which listed everything one could possible know about Chelsea. A picture of her from a year ago had also been posted. Tears filled Claire's eyes once again and even Pete felt his voice becoming a little croaky. He resisted the urge to cough and make the world know that a man could possibly cry.

"M-my b-bab-by..." Claire whispered softly, staring at the screen with sad eyes as if it would make Chelsea appear right in front of her. "I-I n-need h-her back…I'll never b-be able t-to c-continue life w-without h-her…"

"Ma'am, would like me to print out a set of missing child signs? I also can make I.D. cards with her photograph so you can fill them out and have them distributed. We will be working the best of our aptitude with the police department to get Chelsea back," the worker suggested. She pulled up a preview of what the sign would look like. "This is how it'll turn out. How many copies?"

Pete couldn't take this anymore. How was a stupid sign supposed to help bring his daughter back? Like everybody on Earth knew what Chelsea looked like. "Forget it already! This isn't going to work; Chelsea isn't a famous singer or anyone that the entire world will recognize! You're wasting our time. Let's go, Claire."

Grabbing his wife's wrist, Pete marched right out of the place, but Claire managed to grab one flyer and quietly thank the woman. It would be a while before they even got the slightest clue of Chelsea's whereabouts. She sighed sadly, and then her cellphone rang.

The caller ID showed a picture of a very scary, dark faced man with a vampire appearance. The location? Sunshine Islands.

**A/N: Thank you so much for reading! Please give me any constructive advice you have! Oh, yeah, this may seem a little technological and maybe futuristic. And of course, I gotta thank people! These are those who subbed/favorited/reviewed from the original Harvest Rivalry and the new version! Please put your hands together for…On second thought, Kasey is having a sugar burst, so I'll let him do it. I fainted when I read all the pen names for Switcharoo.**

**Kasey: YES! Thanks to: violetfireflies, Voren, Penny ToughGirl, Pwnapple, Music and Things, floridapanther28, FlamingIceWolfGirl, The Snow Sakura, Naruhinalov3, and Yuka Muntou! All of the support we got from you guys was incredible!**

**All three of us: BYE!**


	4. Friendship

**A/N: Another cliffhanger. Hehe. If you were waiting for Mark, I'm trying to think of a way to introduce him into this story. Whatever, I'll just type. By the way, this is when all of the bachelors and bachelorettes are still kids, meaning Chelsea's age, maybe a little younger or older.**

"Daddy? When will the new girl come?" asked a very young and pale skinned Sabrina. She adjusted her glasses, gazing at the man in front of her, who literally brought the faces of most to the ground. But for Sabrina, the man wasn't intimidating in the slightest. He was her very own father and her only parent since the deceasing of her mother.

"My beautiful girl, do not worry. A young girl like you does not need to be involved in such troubles. Now, go play, and do not dare ruin your clothes! You already know that William will be visiting," her father, also known as Regis, answered without even glancing down at his violet-eyed daughter.

Sabrina's heart sank. It seemed as if everyday she and father became a little more distant from each other. The only thoughts on her father's mind were money and the new mining company he was working on establishing.

Stupid Regison Mining Company. So stupid, stupid, stupid. Even the name was stupid.

The raven haired girl put a plastic smile on her face and hurried towards the mansion's library. There was no question that Sabrina loved to read. Everyday, at roughly noontime, she would rush towards the quiet room to absorb herself in a fictional world. From the adventures of hobbits in the Shire to the diary entries of Anne Frank, Sabrina had read it all. And because of all of this reading, she had become quite intelligent for her young age, too.

Sabrina plopped herself into the big armchair positioned in the far side of the room and picked up her favorite book, _The Secret Garden._ Even if she had read the book at least a thousand times, the enchanting tale could never, ever bore her. The idea was mystifying to her, a garden with a locked door, which had a beautiful garden behind it.

In fact, the book was so old and worn that the pages were yellow and the cover was no longer there. This copy was special to Sabrina because it belonged to her mother.

She was just getting into her favorite part when something seemed to knock on the window. Curiously Sabrina hopped off of her chair and wandered towards the window and smiled widely to meet a pair of light blue eyes. She waved and ran towards the front door to greet her beloved cousin.

"My, my, my, I'm so glad to see you, Sabrina!" Will cheered and pulled her into a hug. Sabrina smiled to herself in his embrace, happy to know that _someone_ cared about her.

"I'm happy to see you, too, William," she said quietly, beaming with delight.

Will let go of Sabrina and looked at her with a smile, while Regis walked into the hallway to join them. "Greetings, nephew! How are you?"

"I'm very fine, Uncle, thank you," Will answered politely, his hands clasped together with a bead of sweat. The young boy felt a bit nervous around his uncle, and this sensation seemed to never go away.

"Wonderful! And your parents?"

Will's smile faded away a bit. "My parents are well, too. Although they have been mentioning about me going to travel outside of my home country lately," Will answered, his expression beginning to appear downcast.

"Oh, my. When do they want you to leave?" Sabrina asked, with apprehension hinted in her soft voice. The shy girl had always felt a sibling connection with Will, and it was because of this she remained largely concerned on his condition.

"When I become older. I'm not so keen on it, though," Will mumbled. He mentally scolded himself for being so rude to his relatives. Mumbling was not a behavior to be accepted!

"Oh, then you have plenty of time, William! Let's go and have supper, shall we?" asked Regis, ignoring the boy's rudeness and he put a comforting hand on Will's shoulder before leading the two children upstairs to the kitchen.

Sabrina did her best to make the most of Will's visit. The two children went on walks, played games, and read stories in the library together on days of bad weather. One day, while enjoying one of these cherished times together in the library; Sabrina decided to pop the same question to Will as she had done to her father.

"Will, do you know when the girl will be coming?" she asked timidly, fearing that Will might have not even known anything about what had been going on.

"I'm sorry, Sabrina, but which girl are you talking about?" Will asked. He closed his book and put it aside, then folded his hands in his lap.

"The one that would become a rancher."

"These islands have a ranch? Sabrina, are you sure you aren't confused?"

"William, there is a ranch! And father has hired the scary carpenter man to go kidnap a girl from the city to grow here and take care of the ranch!" Sabrina cried. "He doesn't answer a single question of mine!"

Will frowned, obviously surprised at this news. He also could feel a certain surge of anger start to take over him. Uncle hadn't told anything about this to him! And how could he just kidnap any girl for his purpose?

The blond boy sighed, pulled Sabrina into his tight embrace and hushed her, not wanting Regis to know that Sabrina was in this state.

**Meanwhile-**

"No way! You're a boy, and you have cooties! I know it!" Julia cried out in frustration and she stubbornly stamped her little foot on the dirt ground. She wore a cross look on her face and kept her skinny hands firmly pressed to her sides in defiance. Although the girl was only six or seven years old, she acted as if she were only five or four, maybe even three.

The boy who had asked her to play with him immediately felt tears sting his eyes, but he didn't dare show it. Instead he let his weak shoulders slump a little and allowed a civil smile appear on his face. "Okay, Julia," he forced himself to say.

This was the third attempt in this week Elliot had made in the effort of trying to get a playmate. His sister, Natalie, had nearly fractured his wrist. Sabrina, the girl on Sprout Island, never even stepped outside of her own house. The last option he had left was Vaughn.

Elliot didn't think he had any sort of chance of communication with the silent, amethyst- eyed boy. The kid barely talked, and only to his supposed step mother, Mirabelle, and her daughter, Julia.

Something made him do it. Elliot didn't know what, but something made his feet begin to slowly make the small journey towards the house where Vaughn lived. He didn't even plan on doing it ahead of time or something like that. It just happened automatically.

Without much hesitation, the red haired boy knocked on the door gently, as to not frighten anyone inside. (He'd done that to Regis once while losing control of the knocker. The vampire man wasn't very pleased, let's leave it at that.)

The door opened to reveal a homey looking woman with a gentle smile. Her blue eyes were full of warmth and friendliness. In her pudgy arm she held a glass bowl filled with cookie dough, and the aroma of chocolate chip cookies baking wafted to Elliot's alert sense of smell. His mouth watered.

Mirabelle chuckled heartily. "Hello, Elliot! I was just making cookies. Come inside and try some," she suggested, and cleared the way for the boy to enter. She then hurried into the kitchen, leaving Elliot by himself in the main room.

Much to Elliot's relief, Julia happened to not be at home. Vaughn was sitting on a crate in the corner of the room, a book in his hand. On the cover was a picture of a ship at sea. A title was printed in large, red capital letters.

_The Sea of Trolls_, the cover read. **(1)** Elliot gulped at the sight. The mere declaration of trolls brought a chill over his spine as well as a shiver. Whenever he had nightmares, they always seemed to be about trolls on a ship with long, sharp swords and spears.

"What are you looking at?" Vaughn asked rudely, his eyes now peeled off of the book and gazing coldly at Elliot. They were so empty, so hard-hearted that just a glance could bring a younger child into tears. However, the glasses-clad boy wasn't even fazed. He was used to Vaughn's intense glares and looks of death so he kept a steady stare, not willing in the least to back off.

"Nothing," Elliot answered normally. Just before Vaughn could accuse him of lying and demand the truth, Mirabelle strolled out of the kitchen with a plastic tray holding a plate of warm, fresh cookies and two glasses of cold milk.

"How about a snack, boys?" she asked kindly before setting the delicious delicacies onto the table and wandering back into the kitchen for clean up.

"V-Vaughn? Are you going to eat with me?" Elliot knew that his offer would turn out futile, but he knew that it was never a bad idea to at least try.

Instead, the emotionless boy looked up from his straight stare at the floor and smiled.

"Why not?"

**A/N: Yaaayy. Almost 1,500 words not including the author notes or the "meanwhile"! I had fun writing about Julia and her snootiness, ha, ha. By the way, I did not include Denny, Lanna, Pierre, and Lily because they don't really mention having a family much and I wanted to bring them in a little bit later. I still have to figure out a way to bring Mark in. Until then, my lovelies! xD**

**By the way…**

**(1)- That's the book we're reading in English. :) Just had to say.**


	5. A New Home

Chelsea opened her eyes sleepily. A sliver of morning sunshine glimmered through a window positioned in front of her. She rubbed the crust out of her eyes and brushed away several drops of spit that had dribbled onto her dainty chin, wondering confusedly why she could actually see the window for once. The pillows also felt quite soft compared to what she was used to. _And where's Teddy...?_

The room she was in wasn't her own.

With sudden realization, the young autistic Chelsea was screaming, painfully piercing the strongest of glass with a reverberating shriek that could be heard from several thousand miles away. (Not literally) "Mommy! Come back!"

"Ch-Chelsea please don't scream. Everything will be fine," whispered a hushed feminine voice. Chelsea turned her head slowly to see a pale skinned, dark haired girl wearing large round glasses and a pink satin bow. Her face was round and contained nothing but genuine tenderness and sympathy.

Chelsea felt her lips turn upward slightly, and her tense shoulders relaxed along with her facial expression. "Who...y-you?" she questioned, stammering a little simultaneously. She felt slightly awkward speaking to strangers, which back at home, had been a forbidden action.

"I-I'm Sabrina. It's a p-pleasure to meet you. Would you like some breakfast?"

Coincidentally, a small rumbling sound gurgled from Chelsea's stomach, reminding her of the major importance food held. "Yes, please."

Sabrina smiled kindly and helped Chelsea out of the bed, which was a few inches too high off the ground for Chelsea to jump out of independently.

She then guided the young child to the kitchen/dining area. Chelsea gazed around the overly gigantic room in awe, her eyes widening steadily. A wooden table that had to measure to the length of a bus was centered in the middle of the room. To the right, an enormous kitchen withheld, glimmering with sparkling tiles and countertops made of granite. Crystal glasses filled with creamy milk were already set on the table, along with at least several dozen types of luxurious foods.

Chelsea's mouth watered at the sight of scrambled eggs steaming, pancakes ready to be drizzled with sweet maple syrup, toast buttered generously, and even more foods that she could barely identify. She marveled at the fact that so much food could fit onto a table.

"Have a seat, Chelsea." Sabrina pulled out a nearby chair and gestured for the young girl to sit. She then pulled out her own chair and looked at Chelsea questioningly. "What would you like to eat?"

"Pancake."

"Here you go," Sabrina said and passed Chelsea a plate with two scrumptious looking pancakes on it. She then drizzled maple syrup on top and began to fill her own plate.

"Where Mommy?"

Sabrina felt herself choking a bit and quickly gulped down some of her orange juice. "Wh-What did you say?"

"Where Mommy?"

She felt as if there were two solid brick walls on either side of her advancing towards each other and trying to suffocate her. How would she address a question that she didn't know the answer to? Not to mention she hadn't had much experience with younger children.

"She'll be here soon...You've finished eating? That's good. Let's get ready and I'll take you outside." Desperately, Sabrina tried changing the subject, not wanting to raise an uproar.

"Yay!"

The two girls, after clearing dishes, bounced back cheerfully into the bedroom to freshen up and prepare for an enjoyable day in the warm and welcoming outdoors. Sabrina pulled her closet door and stared at the wide expanse of formal clothes. She realized with a jolt that Chelsea hadn't brought her own clothes. What was she to do now?

The shy bookworm pulled out an outfit that was a dress. It had satin lime green straps, green top, and pink skirt with a white floral design. Sabrina showed the dress to Chelsea. "Do you like this?"

With a gag and disgusted look, Chelsea backed away several steps. Sabrina could feel panic rise inside of her. She continued to rummage through the closet until she came across the one lone outfit that stood out from the rest. It consisted of an orange overcoat, a pale yellow shirt, light blue knee length shorts and a red bandanna. Nearby where the outfit had been kept stood two shiny vibrant red rubber boots. _Did I really have something as__informal as this? Father would kill me if he knew I even __**owned**__ something besides skirts and dresses…_

Chelsea's eyes lit up with excitement as she gazed longingly at the outfit. Sabrina watched her with a genuine and knowing smile.

"I think this one suits you better."

* * *

><p>And finally, about fifteen minutes later, Chelsea was drawing with chalk all over the sidewalk while Sabrina strolled around and sprinkled surrounding flowers she had oh-so- affectionately planted with miniscule drops of crystal clear and cool water. This in turn, contrasted with the slightly intense temperature of the air.<p>

* * *

><p>Sabrina hadn't been counting on it.<p>

She really was not expecting such a sudden change of events. She regretted taking her watchful eyes off of the young Chelsea, even if it were for only one minute.

It seemed to have happened all in an instant. She'd been watering flowers at the far corner of the house after absolutely making sure that Chelsea was within a distance deemed safe. Then she no longer was able to see the young girl, as now her sight and thoughts were preoccupied by the majestic marigolds and delicate daisies in front of her, waiting for a much needed quench of thirst.

She spun around upon hearing no comfortable noise of Chelsea's play and immediately was sprinting at a full speed she hadn't been known to be capable of until this particular moment. She was calling out her name, keeping as much calmness and reassurance in her voice as possible - this drew children closer rather than sounding angry or desperate, which would simply frighten them away.

"Chelsea? Where are you?"

This was going to be a long day, or so she felt.

* * *

><p>A soft breeze blew through Chelsea's hair soothingly as the young girl gently ran her fingers over the vibrant green leaf of a wildflower plant. Birds chirped their midday song and itty-bitty critters buzzed.<p>

The door of a nearby barn-like house opened, creaking enough that Chelsea turned her head to stare at the source of the noise.

Out stepped a young boy, who had to have been no more than one year older than her. His dark, cowboy-like attire suited the gloomy and spooky mood that was so palpable it seemed to be written across his face.

He caught Chelsea looking at him. "Who are you?"

And upon hearing such a frightening voice, Chelsea's red rubber boots were practically flying her in the direction she came from. It didn't take more than five seconds for her to run smack dab into Sabrina. With small, trembling hands, Chelsea grabbed the older girl's lavender sweater and began to cry into it, dampening the expensive and delicate fabric with salty tears.

"Scary! Scary cowboy!"

Sabrina looked up at Vaughn apologetically, and she began to lead Chelsea back to the mansion.

Vaughn stood there, motionless, and watched the two girls disappear out of his sight.

"Ah, we- Who are _you_?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Ha-ha. You won't know who the new person is until next time! By the way, if ****you have story ideas, or things you'd like to see, please, oh please let me know. I've also changed the chapter titles for this story. I know they're kinda lame and corny, but hey, they work, lol.**

**Now we need to take a vote. Instead of going through the painful process of ****creating a new poll, you can just give me your choice in a review, signed or anonymous, I really do not care.**

**A) Would you prefer to skip to Chelsea's adulthood starting in Chapter 6? (The** **chapter after the next chapter)**

**B) Or would you rather have the farming begin when they're young; perhaps a smaller fast foward?**

**Please just say A or B as your vote clearly and if you have a specific ****reason/extra advice/whatever just say so. I'm listening! :) If you read this whole huge author's note without skipping anything then I think you are extremely awesome!**

**-Hershey**

**P.S.: (As if I could blabber anymore) If you have not done so, please vote on ****the current poll on my profile. Thanks, guys and gals!**

**P.S.S.: I know that updates for this story are like a miracle, because they're so rare. Well you'll be thrilled that I have school starting next Thursday. xD**


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